Makro’s Wonderboom Store Power Cut Over R1.8m BillMassmart Says It Was a Pre-Paying Tenant

The City of Tshwane cut off power at the Makro Wonderboom store on Monday, 30 March 2026, over an alleged outstanding bill of R1.8 million , but retailer Massmart says it was a pre-paying tenant and the landlord is responsible.

The Cutoff

Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya posted on Twitter/X that the city was disconnecting the Masstores property, which includes the Makro store, as part of the city’s “Tshwane Ya Tima” credit control campaign.

The campaign names and shames alleged serial rate defaulters on social media and disconnects their electricity or water supply.

Massmart’s Response

Massmart told MyBroadband it was only informed of the store’s outstanding balance earlier that day, on the same day as the cutoff.

“Our Makro Wonderboom store makes regular pre-payments to the City of Tshwane, with our most recent payment made on 27 March.”

The retailer said it is investigating why the power was cut.

The Tenant Problem

The city has repeatedly been criticised for falsely accusing leasing businesses and state entities of owing millions, while the actual guilty parties are the property owners or landlords.

In January 2026, SITA’s head of corporate affairs, Tlali Tlali , labelled the municipality’s second cutoff of SITA’s offices in five months as “a publicity stunt.”

Tlali accused the city of failing to verify basic facts before taking action, stating that SITA was merely a tenant. The matter was swiftly resolved once the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure paid.

Prison Cutoff Attempt

In the same month, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) accused the city of deliberate misinformation after it attempted to cut off electricity at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison over an alleged R8 million bill.

Correctional Services managers successfully blocked the action after they pointed out the bill was incorrect, leaving Tshwane staff “embarrassed.”

“This incident clearly demonstrates a lack of due diligence and basic verification before drastic action is taken and published on social media,” the department said.

The Bottom Line

Makro’s power was cut. Massmart says it paid. The landlord is the issue. The city says it’s enforcing its campaign.

But with SITA and DCS also caught in the crossfire, Tshwane’s approach is drawing fireand raising questions about its verification process.

{Source: Mybroadband}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com